With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch today, Thursday, May 21 from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

Variety Thursday on Stars in the House
At 2 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome a trio of talented performers on Stars in the House: Bonnie Milligan, beloved for her powerhouse pipes and scene-stealing turns in Head Over Heels on Broadway and Promenade at City Center's Encores!; Steven Weber, a TV vet who's been on Broadway and is wickedly funny on Twitter; and Eclipsed Tony nominee Saycon Sengbloh. This twice daily show benefits The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on YouTube.

Jerry Herman On Stage at Paper Mill Playhouse
At 7 p.m. ET, in the fall of 1999, when New Jersey's venerable Paper Mill Playhouse was running a revival of Auntie Mame, the show's songwriter Jerry Herman dropped by for a chat and a brief performance, and you can watch a recording of it tonight. The theatre's then artistic director, Robert Johanson, interviewed the Tony winner, and performers Lee Roy Reams and Florence Lacey, both veterans of multiple Herman shows, sang as he played the piano! Watch for free on Paper Mill Playhouse's Facebook page.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: City of Rain
At 7 p.m. ET, the invaluable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater shares a 2019 recording of City of Rain, Tony nominee Camille A. Brown's breathtaking ballet in honor of a friend who died. Created a decade ago, the on-the-rise choreographer revisited the work last year, making updates to accommodate the dancers and her evolving style. Watch for free through Sunday on the troupe's website.

Timon of Athens at the Stratford Festival
At 7 p.m. ET, Ontario's venerable Stratford Festival continues its Shakespeare On Film series with one of the Bard's lesser produced tragedies, Timon of Athens, often labeled as one of his problem plays. Stratford vet Joseph Ziegler stars as the title character, a wealthy and generous man whose friends disappear with his funds. Watch for free on the Stratford Festival's YouTube channel.

Turandot at the Met
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2019 mounting of Puccini's Turandot, starring Christine Goerke, Eleonora Buratto, Yusif Eyvazov and James Morris, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The production was filmed for the company's Live in HD series, and is available to watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Un Ballo in Maschera, until 6:30 p.m. today.

Love Letters with Sally Field and Bryan Cranston
At 8 p.m. ET, get ready for your heart to expand when Broadway's Best Shows presents Love Letters starring two-time Oscar winner Sally Field and two-time Tony winner Bryan Cranston, directed by four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks. A.R. Gurney's epistolary romance chronicles the relationship between two soulmates over 50 years as they lead separate lives. It's the perfect play for this moment, as it's staged with the characters sitting side by side at different tables, reading their correspondence. That should translate beautifully online, and also captures the strange power of remote connection—something we're all learning a lot about right now. Watch for free on Broadway's Best Shows' website. Busy at 8 p.m. ET? It will be repeated at 11 p.m. ET.

Benefit Concert for You Gotta Believe on Stars in the House
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley's twice daily talk show usually raises money for The Actors Fund. But tonight they're hosting a benefit concert for the nonprofit You Gotta Believe, which helps find forever homes for children and teens in foster care. The lineup of performers includes Tony nominees Anika Larsen, Beth Malone and Kerry Butler, plus Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Willie Garson (Sex and the City) and Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty) will share moving and personal stories about adopting their foster children. Watch for free on YouTube though donations are encouraged!

Movie Night with Josh Groban: Live at the Greek
At 8 p.m. ET, international recording sensation and Tony-nominated Great Comet star Josh Groban hosts a one-time screening of his 2004 concert movie Live at the Greek online. Throughout, he'll provide running commentary, sharing memories and stories about the film and his career. Watch for free on Groban's YouTube channel.

Biter (Every Time I Turn Around) at The Brick
At 8 p.m. ET, one of Brooklyn's most adventurous theatres, The Brick, continues its Archival Streaming Series with another better-seen-than-described offering, Biter (Every Time I Turn Around),
a "sincere slapstick gore-fest examination of personal prisons and animal urges." I don't usually quote from press releases, but who am I to change such an enticing blurb?! Created by Title:Point and co-helmed by The Brick's new artistic director Theresa Buchheister, this 2015 production sounds like a wild ride. This is your chance to see boundary-pushing, outer-borough performance without having to take the subway! Watch for free on The Brick's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

Available to Watch All Day

Scott Siegel's Great American Songbook Concert: Volume 3
Scott Siegel has been producing starry cabaret concerts at Town Hall and other storied venues for years. Now he brings his talent for assembling crackerjack crooners to YouTube. Today's lineup includes Fun Home Tony nominee Beth Malone, Broadway favorite Karen Mason and the hilarious Stephen DeRosa. Watch for free on YouTube.

Hansel and Gretel at the Met
It's a bonus opera from the Metropolitan! Ever since the shutdown began, the opera house has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These operas have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week's offering is the Met's 2008 mounting of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, a holiday staple at the venue. Starring Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer, it's an eye-popping, English-language production that's great for kids, with oversize cartoon chefs, singing trees and an unforgettable witch's kitchen. Watch for free anytime through Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera's website

MCC LiveLabs: One Acts: The Sentinels
If you missed this one-act by The Inheritance playwright Matthew Lopez last night, you can still watch a recording of The Sentinels starring a formidable foursome of fierce females: Tony winners Jane Alexander, Katrina Lenk and Priscilla Lopez, and Tony nominee Denée Benton. A meditation on mourning that moves backwards in time, the drama centers on a group of September 11 widows who meets every year on the anniversary of the tragedy that upended their lives. Watch the live performance for free on MCC Theater's YouTube page.

The Homebound ProjectThe Homebound Project just released its second edition of playlets, and the lineup is once again stellar. Enjoy new shorts by big-name dramatists including Pulitzer Prize finalists Sarah DeLappe and Will Arbery, and Off-Broadway darlings Adam Bock and Anne Washburn, featuring stage stars such as Tony winner Mary-Louise Parker and Zachary Quinto. The brainchild of playwright Catya McMullen and director Jenna Worsham, this initiative is raising money to support food insecure kids during the pandemic. Tickets start at $10.

Andrew Scott in Sea Wall
Simon Stephens' devastating monologue Sea Wall, previously seen on Broadway paired with Nick Payne's solo A Life, is now online. This 2012 recording stars Andrew Scott of Fleabag fame, and he is heartbreaking as a man who recalls how a trip to the south of France with his family changed the course of his life. Even though you see the end coming, it still packs a gut punch. Watch for free anytime through Memorial Day. on YouTube.

Zan Hall said:
So many good things to see but why is everything on the same day & time?Posted on 5/21/2020 at 10:37 AM

Michael Z said:
Thanks for your announcement and info, TDF.
I'll be tuned in tonight and looking forward to see two great actors perform = Love Letters starring Sally Field and Bryan Cranston, directed by Jerry Zaks.Posted on 5/21/2020 at 10:38 AM

Raven Editor of TDF Stages said:
Hi Zan,
It's true: a lot of the best things to watch online start around the same time. But the good news is, most are available to watch after-the-fact! Love Letters is an exception. It's only streaming twice. once at 8 p.m. and then again at 11 p.m. But most everything else will be available tomorrow.Posted on 5/21/2020 at 11:53 AM

Laurie G said:
I've been watching a lot of theater productions via my smart t.v. since the March "pause" but this has been the best by far because it was live, intimate and so well acted.Posted on 5/21/2020 at 9:36 PM

Sherri Boxer said:
Loved watching Love Letters ---but there was no place to make a donation to the Actor's Fund....the two actors made mention of it but there was no'button' to click to make a donation...please advise!Posted on 5/21/2020 at 9:40 PM

Banna Rubinow said:
Wonderful performances of a play I dearly love. But I couldn't find anywhere on the screen to click to make a donation to the Actors Fund. I finally just Googled them was able to make a gift. There should be an easier/more obvious way to do this.Posted on 5/21/2020 at 9:44 PM

Carol Haber said:
Oh, my. Absolutely wonderful! Perfect performances. Marvelous writer. Love letters, literally. Thank you so so much for a perfect presentation, for me, probably better than in a theater, because here I heard every word and saw every expression and nuance up close.Posted on 5/21/2020 at 9:49 PM

Harriet & Jeffrey said:
Wow! Thank you so much to TDF Stages for offering the opportunity for us to see Sally Field and Bryan Cranston in "Love Letters"! Getting to see these truly outstanding actors, at our own home, while we are "socially distancing" was amazing. Not going out until we have a safe, effective vaccine...but we can make a donation to the Actors Fund...and are doing so tonight!Posted on 5/21/2020 at 9:49 PM

Lois said:
Thank you thank you totally enjoyed 3 plays
Please be kind to us even when not a holiday and tray is to morePosted on 5/28/2020 at 4:54 PM